Knight Gallant
strides boldly into battle to face the foe.]] The Knight Gallant ''Questoris''-class Imperial Knight is a close combat specialist. The Nobles that pilot Knights Gallant are aggressive and short-tempered, their minds constantly occupied with proving themselves in glorious combat. Armed with a Thunderstrike Gauntlet on one arm and a Reaper Chainsword on the other, they eschew the use of long-ranged cannons in favour of wargear that can pummel, shred and tear their foes apart in combat. Difficult to restrain with tactics and logic, they will often spearhead an assault in search of renown. A Noble destined to pilot a Knight Gallant will learn three basic tenets when their Throne Mechanicum is installed within their steed. Depending upon the specific Knight House or the ancient heritage of the Throne, these commandments might be phrased in many different ways, but they all boil down to the same three truisms: trust in your Ion Shield, make all speed toward the foe, and strike swift and sure. Knights Gallant therefore waste no time in surging into the fight, their pounding strides eating up the distance between them and the foe with terrifying speed, their shields flickering as they absorb the enemy's increasingly panicked fire. History ]] Impetuous. Mad. Beyond bellicose. These words and more have been used to describe Knights Gallant, for they are considered by the majority of their peers to be the most reckless and combative of all Imperial Knights. Man and machine share the same traits -- they are aggressive, bold and difficult, if not impossible, to restrain. They long to attack, and will do so with unrelenting fervour. Equipped exclusively for close-ranged combat, a Knight Gallant will thus charge headlong at the foe, its immense strides allowing the bipedal giant to cover the battlefield swiftly. s and Thunderstrike Gauntlets.]] Once a Knight Gallant closes the distance, the towering walker can unleash its adamantine fury. Its Reaper Chainsword deals death. Long sweeping arcs of the blade will scythe down infantry or destroy light vehicles, while brutal stabs effortlessly chew straight through battle tanks or enemy walkers. Yet a Knight Gallant does not live by its blade alone, for its other arm bears a Thunderstrike Gauntlet. This weapon, surrounded by a sparking nimbus of power, can deliver the coup de grâce to anything on the battlefield. Its thunderclap impact can punch through any amount of armour plating, ripping the hearts out of enormous beasts, and flipping vehicles onto their roofs. Although geared towards close combat, a Knight Gallant does bear a single ball-turret mounted weapon. Typically this is a Heavy Stubber -- its flurry of rounds used to pin foes down before a charge, or to decimate hordes attempting to swamp the Knight through weight of numbers. Some Knights Gallant opt instead for a Meltagun, using its searing heat to dispatch tanks at close range. It is not unusual to see Knights Gallant augment their limited firepower with the addition of a carapace-mounted weapon. The Ironstorm Missile Pod has proven especially effective at halting attempts by infantry to swarm over a Knight, with the barrage capable of scattering even the most determined of incoming foes. When a lance of Knights Gallant take the battlefield, they are sure to attract a disproportionate amount of the enemy's firepower. Indeed, most foes will do anything they can in hopes of preventing the Knights from reaching their front lines. Since the Great Crusade there have been many tales of the devastation wrought by these aggressive Knights, for their bold and reckless attacks have made them famous across the galaxy. It was a Knight Gallant that charged the vaunted Heretic stronghold of Archeonite, smashing its way through thirteen defensive lines to batter down the citadel's gates. It was a trio of Knights Gallant that counterattacked the Tyranid invasion of Grodisphere -- ploughing headlong into a siege-breaking line of Carnifexes, blunting that xenos offensive in a spectacularly bloody fashion. Indeed, the great conqueror Lord Solar Macharius is said to have favoured the Gallant Lance formation above all others for breaking enemy lines and bringing a swift end to attritional battles. Notable Campaigns *'Suppression Wars (Unknown Date.M41)' - During the Suppression Wars on Dhollox, the sheer might of the Thunderstrike Gauntlet was put on theatrical display for all to see. Furious at the slaughter wreaked upon his Adeptus Mechanicus allies by a Traitor tank company, Baron Winstone of House Krast closed quickly. He sliced with his blade and stomped his way through the armoured line until he reached the command vehicle. Using his Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Winstone swiped down the rebel's vile banner before thrusting his fist straight through the tank's armour to pluck out the company leader. Enemy shots flared off Winstone's Ion Shields as the Baron lifted his foe high for all to see before squeezing and discarding the remains with disdain. The remaining Traitors fled, dismayed. So began the rout, and the merciless pursuit that only ended when every last rebel was slain. Known Formations Knights in a Gallant Lance formation]] *'Gallant Lance' - With more momentum than a runaway mag-train, a Gallant Lance hits with such ground-shaking impact that shockwaves can be felt Terran miles away. Even a Battle Titan must fear such a collision, for each of the three Knights Gallant that make up a Gallant Lance formation is, in its own right, a formidable killing machine. Given enough time, such a tsunami of hurtling adamantine armour, swinging Reaper blades and lightning-wreathed Thunderstrike Gauntlets could completely stave in an Imperial Navy Battleship. Gallant Lances charging full tilt have even been known to crack open the reinforced ferrocrete walls of traitorous hive cities; and once within, their murderous prowess is such that the previously confident foe will flee their stronghold rather than face the Knights in combat. Unit Composition *'1 Knight Gallant' Wargear *'Reaper Chainsword' *'Thunderstrike Gauntlet' *'Heavy Stubber' *'Ion Shield' *'Throne Mechanicum' *'Titanic Feet' - The weight of the Knight alone is enough for to crush enemy units beneath its behemoth tread. Optional Wargear *'Meltagun (As replacement for Heavy Stubber)' *'Ironstorm Missile Pod' *'Twin-linked Icarus Autocannons' *'Stormspear Rocket Pod' *'Bio-corrosive Rounds for Heavy Stubber (31st Millennium Only)' - Replaces the Knight's Heavy Stubber's standard ammunition for Bio-corrosive tipped rounds. These rounds are capable of eating through both flesh and armour. *'Occular Augmetics (31st Millennium Only)' - An upgrade to the Knight's Occular sensors enabling a far greater degree of visual input during low-light conditions, such as night-fighting. Sources *''Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus'' (8th Edition), pp. 58, 87 *''Codex: Imperial Knights'' (8th Edition), pp. 63, 95 *''Codex: Imperial Knights'' (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 23, 35, 44, 46, 52, 57, 69, 78, 80, 86, 97, 105 *''White Dwarf Weekly'' 66 (02 May 2015), "Knight Gallant," "Parade Ground," "Oathsworn Warriors," pp. 8-9, 54-55, 67 Gallery Knight Gallant Unending Glory.jpg|A Knight Gallant of House Griffith Knight Gallant_Foresworn Wrath.jpg|A Knight Gallant of House Hawkshroud Knight Gallant War Strider.jpg|A Knight Gallant of House Mortan Knight Gallant Honoured Vigillance.jpg|A Knight Gallant of House Terryn Knight Gallant Impenetrable.jpg|A Knight Gallant of House Raven Knight Gallant Guilded Conqueror.jpg|A Knight Gallant of House Vulker The Living Litany Freeblade.jpg|A Knight Gallant, the Freeblade The Living Litany ES:Caballero Galante Category:K Category:Adeptus Mechanicus Category:Imperial Technology Category:Imperial Walkers Category:Imperium Category:Walkers Category:Imperial Knights